Mission Ill 2
by CaptainS10
Summary: Sequel to Mission Ill. Holly has been stationed at Fowl Manor on the surface to keep an eye on the LEP's biggest problem now - the B'wa Kell and their crimes. But relations between the elf and the human housing her are strained, and she isn't happy about it. To top it off, neither of them are in good health. Can they handle each other for the duration of her mission? T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay. To be quite frank, even I hate myself for my lack of updates lately. I'm being cracked down on from all different directions, though. I don't have as much free time as I used to, and most of it is used up before I can even think to do anything with it productive, like writing. It's to the point lately where I'm usually the first to wake up in my house and the last to go to sleep. And I still barely get time to type. How messed up is that?**

**I'll still with my griping and lame excuses now. **

**So, Mission Ill 2. Finally here. Not done, but I'm posting it anyways. To be completely honest, I don't know where I'm going with this story. There will be more after this, so it's not going to be a one-shot, but I'm not sure if it's going to be a two or three shot, or possibly a full chaptered story. When I decide, or get some clue, I'll let you guys know. That is, if anyone still cares. Does anyone read my author's notes anyways?**

**Hopefully, since I have some announcements that I need to share. But I'll save those for the end, since I'm sure anyone reading this will be anxious to get at the chapter. ;)**

**~CaptainS10**

"Would you like me to take that, Captain?"

"No," was the flat reply.

"Are you okay, Holly?"

A snort at this. "_Hell_ no."

"I see."

Right now, the unlikely trio was walking back to the shuttle port from Holly's flat. She had just gathered the things she would need for her new Recon assignment - stay with the Mud Boy above ground and do damage control so the LEP could focus on more pressing issues. The thought made her feel sick. . . Well, sicker than she already was.

Artemis and Butler were trying to be polite; that wasn't the problem. She just didn't feel in the mood anymore.

"Holly," Artemis said quietly, "I'm sorry."

She didn't answer.

"Come on. Don't be mad. You know I had a point, and so did your commander. Haven will be better off this way. You're helping him so much."

"Save it, please," Holly growled. "You aren't helping. You're giving me a migraine."

"Do you already have a headache?" he questioned.

"Yes."

He nodded. "Alright, then. I'll give you some medication for that at the manor."

"No need. I have some in my bag." She yawned into her arm and then added, "I cleared out my med cabinet while I was in the bathroom."

"Good idea," he acknowledged, squeezing her shoulder. "Who knows how long you'll have to be above ground, anyways. You may need it."

"Whatever Fowl," Holly sighed. Any progress they'd made at becoming something like friends went down the drain by now. It had as soon as Artemis had suggested his stupid deal with the commander. Artemis knew it.

At least Ill have time to start over from scratch, thought the human. She'll probably be staying at the manor for a month, at least.

A hint of a smile curled up the edges his lips at that thought. He could just imagine all the things he could make Holly do to communicate with him. Of course, some of them might not be proper... Or nice... But he could.

They climbed in the shuttle. Butler laid a massive hand on each Artemis's and Holly's shoulders. "Both of you. Go lay down in the back. I'll set the shuttle on autopilot and wake you when we get back to Ireland, understand?"

Artemis looked at his bodyguard and sighed. "Alright, Butler. I suppose I'll humor you. Come on, Captain Short." He took her small hand a started tugging her into the back of the shuttle.

Holly didn't try to fight the human as he tugged her, but she did make sure to throw an irritated glance Butler's way.

As soon as they were in the back, away from Butler, Artemis took the bag of Holly's shoulder and dropped it. Before she could say a word, he grabbed her around the waist, hefted her up, and tossed her into the the large chair a few feet away.

"Hey!" she protested, as he walked over and say down beside her. "That was _not_ necessary! And hands off!"

She added this last part as he -or he attempted to- wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him as he reclined the chair. She wriggled against him, trying to worm free from his grasp. He shook his head and leaned down to breathe softly down her neck, sighing when he felt her immediately stop struggling and tense.

"Fowl..." she warned, her voice low. "Don't even -"

His lips pressed against her flesh, and she hissed when she felt them curl against her skin. Gingerly, he trailed them up to find the pulse in her neck and suck it gently.

"When you go to sleep," he whispered, never removing his lips, "I'll stop."

She let out a short, sarcastic laugh, although beneath he could hear her voice laced with fear. "Really? You're blackmailing me into doing as you said with _rape_?"

Artemis froze where he was, slowly pulling back to look at her. As his eyes darted across her face, she took in the hint of hurt in them and bit her lip. If she was able to see it in his eyes, then his guard was slipping, which meant that the statement must have hurt him a lot more than just a little.

"Holly..." he murmured, hesitating. He licked his lips and sighed. "I never said any such thing. God, why would you think that?" He pulled his grip off her and got up. "Look... Just go to sleep. I'll go back out in the front so you don't have to feel _threatened_ anymore."

"I didn't say -"

"You didn't have to. I got it, alright?"

For the second time that night, he slipped off his jacket and draped it across her small form. Tucking her in, he hovered above her for a second, then sighed and turned away. "Normally I'd kiss your forehead, but I don't want to make you anymore uncomfortable than I already have..." His eyes ran over her, and then he ruffled her hair lightly. "Go to sleep, Captain."

She watched him turn for the door and frowned, feeling guilty herself for some reason she didn't fathom. "Artemis, wait," Holly called, sitting up slightly. "You don't... Just... Ugh. Please come back."

"No. I'm fine, alright? There's no reason for you to -"

"Artemis," she interrupted. "Listen instead of lecture for once, okay?" He nodded. "Butler is expecting you to stay back here. You don't really want to face him, do you? And even so... This chair is big enough for both of us. I'm not _really_ afraid of you, alright? It was just the first cutting, sarcastic remark I came up with. I understand you've changed some. I'm just irritated with this whole arrangement and I'm still sick so that's bothering me... I realize I've been taking it out on you and Butler since it was finalized. I didn't... I mean, it was meant to irritate you, not hurt you, and I didn't mean to imply anything."

He stared at her for a second. Feeling he needed a little more encouragement, she sighed and patted the spot where he had been sitting a minute ago beside her. "Please come sit down."

He slowly turned his head in acknowledgement and paced back over to sit next to her, but he didn't lay back down, instead just sitting on the edge of the seat and folding his hands in his lap while staring at her intently.

Holly sighed. "Artemis. Lay down."

He laid flat in the chair obediently, still watching her closely.

"Come on, Mud Boy. Stop being so overly formal now." She sighed and scooted closer to him, resting her head lightly against his chest and draping the blanket halfway over him as well. He still didn't move. She slipped up his body and murmured in his ear, "Artemis. _Please_."

Finally the human gave in, placing one hand behind her shoulder and pulling her firmly against him. She sighed with relief and buried her face into his neck, cuddling against his chest.

They were both out before either of them could say another word.

o0o0o0o0o

Butler woke them when they broke the surface. Artemis opened his eyes, being the first to be woken, and frowned at the smug grin on his face.

"Shut up," he muttered, then sat up slightly and looked down to wake up Holly.

A few minutes later, the trio exited the shuttle. Holly was stumbling around a bit, wrapped in Artemis's coat, still half asleep. The human in question was carrying her bag and his own on his shoulder, keeping one hand planted firmly on her back just in case she fell.

The Bentley was still where Butler had parked it, so they had no trouble finding it. Holly and Artemis climbed in the backseat again. The car had barely started moving before the elf was passed out again, her head resting in the human's lap.

Artemis chuckled at the sight, gently beginning to comb his fingers through her hair as he looked up and gazed out through the window. It was dark as ever outside. A quick glance at the dashboard told him it was about three o'clock in the morning. They'd probably arrive at the manor at about three-thirty or so, giving them both a bit of time to rest some more before they were forced to face his mother and Juliet.

Truthfully, he was still tired, but he doubted he'd get much more rest. He had to figure out a plan - a way to keep Holly from his mother, or a way to explain her away to her, and a backup for whichever one he ended up doing.

He also had to find a way to keep Holly from hating him for the duration of her stay. But that was easier said than done... And easier put off than dealt with now.

He stared out the window, lost in thought, for the remainder of the ride. His fingers never stopped or slowed in Holly's hair.

**Little bit of my signature dark romance/semi-fluff. Has anyone else missed it as much as I have?**

**Okay, so, now to my aforementioned announcements. If anyone actually is reading my author's notes.. hopefully you'll like these. **

**Firstly, I want to throw out that I do have more than one FF accounts. I know I haven't been on this one very much lately, and for that I am sorry. I will try to be on more. However, I do have a few other accounts that I'm more active on than this one. For anyone interested in catching me on one of them too or instead, I will put the names up on my profile page after I'm done here so you guys can find them. **

**Secondly (and lastly for the moment), I wanted to inform you guys that I have started a forum, also under this profile. For any of the other Fowl Fans interesting in RPing, its there. If anyone is interested in joining, prior knowledge of what the heck RPing is or no, PM me or say so in a review and I'll PM you myself. It is open and active to anyone who wants to join, but, I would like everyone to get ahold of me first, just for the purpose of smoothing over the little details and because I would like to at least meet everyone who wants to join once. Fair enough? **

**That's all for now, folks. Review? PM? Give me some feedback some how, and I'm happy to reply. Is there any of my fans out there that still care that I'm alive even though I've been careless lately?**

**~CaptainS10**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okey-dokey. New chappie here. Eat it up if you want it, if not, get the heck out. No flames please. I'm pretty tired of it already.**

The next morning, Holly woke in an unfamiliar room.

She opened her eyes groggily, blinking the sleep from her eyes and frowning. All she saw was the jet black ceiling above her head when she opened her eyes, and then she immediately tried to sit up and take in her surroundings. However, she found herself unable to do this as when she went to move, she felt objects on her that were holding her down.

The objects holding her weren't binds; they were part of her captor's - well, former captor, even if she still thought of him like that - body. They were both, much to her immense embarrassment, completely tangled up in each other; he had his arms wrapped around her back, and his head rested on the top of hers as hers was tucked up in the crook of his neck. His long legs were straight beneath him, but hers were both curled around his hips, and she could feel her body protesting as she slowly tried to squirm from his grasp.

Had she moved a little faster she might have made it, but she didn't; his arms tightened around her possessively, and she heard him murmur huskily, "no, Holly. Don't move."

"B-but I-I-" she croaked, but that was all the further she got.

She wasn't stopped by him putting a hand over her mouth this time; instead, he removed his arms from her back and pushed her flat on it, leaning down and lightly nudging her chin up so her head was tilted up, and then he licked the smooth brown skin he exposed.

Her breath caught, however, before she could do anything, he covered her mouth with one hand and trailed his fingers down the side of her uniform, following the path of the zipper. Finally he reached the end, then sighed and separated himself from her.

"Fowl-"

"Artemis," he interrupted. "I prefer Artemis. And before you freak out... I apologize. That was wrong of me. I'm not going to do anything to you. Yes, I let myself be carried away the slightest bit there. ." He paused, adding when she didn't answer, "I am a teenager, you know -it's my instinct to unclothe a beautiful girl when I get them that close to me."

She tensed. "Did you just call me beautiful?"

"Yes, I believe I did," Artemis replied. "Problem?"

"Nothing," she responded weakly. "I mean. . No. ." Frond, he just admitted he wants to unclothe me, Holly thought. And I'm stuck here with him for a month at least. Should I be scared or not?

He seemed to sense her thoughts. "It's okay, Holly. I may want to still, but I'm back in control now. I won't. Now, come. Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast. I'm sure you're hungry." He extended his hand towards her softly, and with some hesitance, she took it. "We have to face my mother and Juliet, as well."

She nodded, and then a minute later, she actually comprehended his words and her eyes widened. "Your family! How are we-"

"Relax, Captain," he soothed, squeezing her hand as he pulled her out of bed with him. "I have a plan - don't I always? I can't guarantee you'll like it, however, but it's the best we've got." He took her other hand to and pulled her close, looking deeply into her eyes. "Holly, my mother has never met any one I know, not even my business associates. It's going to take something serious for her to believe any lie we tell her. Even with the form-changing bracelet to hide your species... We need something to cover your identity, and what you are in relation to me. Do you understand?"

"Of course," Holly agreed. "But what are we going to tell her? I mean, I get it needs to be serious, but how serious? No one is ever going to believe a relationship between is anything more than friendship, if we can call this crazy arrangement that, so it's not like I could be portrayed as your girlfriend or something. I'm nowhere near smart enough to give her the impression as a business partner or something... What?" she demanded, when she saw the look on his face.

"Are you against that idea?"

"What idea? A business partner? I don't really think I could pull it off, but-"

"No," he interrupted, shaking his head. "Not a partner... Well... Not that kind of partner. Holly.."

"What?" she demanded, obviously irritated that he wasn't telling her. "Artemis, tell me."

"Holly, I know we don't _really_ have a deep relationship. I know you hate me-" he held his hand up to stop her objections, "-and you may not want to... But how long exactly do you think you can stand me in public?"

She thought about it for a minute, then shrugged. "A while, I guess. If I tried."

"Could you?"

"Artemis, what are you planning? Tell me, please!"

"Be my girlfriend."

"_What_?" she hissed, rearing back and jerking her hands away. "That's... That's.. No."

"Just in front of my mother and Juliet," he assured. "When it's me and you, I would never ask you to do that. No PDA or anything required. But it's the best excuse I could come up with - and frankly, I believe it's what my mother will believe. She already thinks I've been sneaking out to visit some secret girlfriend and I've just been hiding it, because of my disappearances for meetings and things of the sort. Including what I've been doing for your People," he added.

"Yes.. I know, and trust me, as confusing as it is, I'm glad your trying to protect my People, but I don't think I can pull it off.. Or that I even want to."

"I understand. But, you have to do what needs to be done... And it's not going to be as bad as you think. I can do most of the talking. Please, Holly."

She stared into his eyes: wide, brilliant blue, and for once, truly sincere. She frowned and huffed out a sigh. "Frond, I can't believe I'm doing this... Alright, fine!"

"Oh, thank God," he muttered, releasing her briefly and pulling her into a tight hug. "I had a back up plan... But it wasn't any better. This is truly the better plan. Oh, and here," he slid his watch off his wrist and strapped it on her small wrist. It was much bigger on her, and it immediately slid up her arm.

"What's this for? It's not-" she started to say, but then suddenly, stopped and gasped. The watch started to change shape, going from a bronze overly large watch to a beautiful emerald green bracelet that matched her skin tone. It had a large gemstone set in the middle. Immediately, even while the bracelet changed, she started to grow. Her hair grew from ear-tip length down to her collarbone, and she gained an extra foot and a half, her body straightening and growing up a bit.

Her clothing changed too - at least outwardly. Her one-piece underneath the suit grew and expanded to fit her new body, but her suit... Her suit changed into a beautiful, long silken dress that matched the color of the bracelet. The straps criss-crossed on her back, exposing plenty of skin, but no cleavage on the front as it came up to her collarbone. The dress itself extended down clear to her knees. Her combat boots turned into a pair of black flats as she watched.

"Umm..." Holly mumbled, looking up at Artemis. He didn't seem at all surprised, although he did have a far off look on his face. She watched his throat muscles flex as he looked her up at down, then wet his lips as he met her wide eyes with his darkened blue ones. She scowled at the expression on his face and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Don't you know it's impolite to stare, Mud Boy? Anyways, did you know this would happen?"

"Yes. It's the bracelet. You could change, if you want... Just picture the outfit in your mind you actually want. However, if you don't picture a specific outfit with the bracelet, it goes automatically to whatever suits you and your... current situation."

"And that would be this?"

"Yes, of course. It makes complete sense - the green color complements your skin tone, and the length and slimming form of the dress complement, well, your form, while still exposing nothing. And the whole outfit complements the situation because..." He shook his head. "Honestly, that should be simple. You're going to pretend to be my girlfriend and I'm taking you to meet my mother and servants - it doesn't really make sense to do so in combat boots and a LEP work suit. Especially with the suit being from where it's from..."

"Alright, I get it," she muttered. "Fine. Can we go now? I want out of this dress ASAP."

He chuckled. "Yes, of course - just let me change my suit. I'll be just a moment."

He disappeared into his walk-in closet briefly and came out five minutes later dressed in a new suit. It looked black, but it also could have been passed off as midnight blue, with a light blue undershirt that matched his eyes. He had quickly brushed his hair from the looks of it, although it was still messy and wild around his face.

"Ready?" he asked, fidgeting with his cuff links.

No, she thought, but she didn't say it outloud. Instead she just nodded and stood up. "Yeah," she muttered, taking his proffered hand. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."


End file.
